interactive holographic howitzer

In the misty Orlické Hory mountains, near the Czech/Polish border, you can find what is left of the Czechoslovak fortifications.

One of the remaining fortresses is Tvrz Hanička. It is now an impressive museum where visitors can learn about the vast defensive preparations for the 2nd world War and how, ultimately, the Munich agreement made them come to nothing.

For the artillery bunker at Tvrz Hanička, we painstakingly re-created the Škoda 10cm vz.38 howitzer as an interactive holographic rear projection. It would have been one of three, aiding the defensive line with a firing range of almost 12km and up to 20 rounds per minute.

The interactive installation is controlled by a PS5 controller. By simply turning it on, we are transported into a soundscape of war happening outside; the lights dim, and the projection starts. The tour guide will show you how the machine works and, if there's time, let you fire it yourself...

We created and printed a large rectified orthophoto map from historical aerial photographs so visitors can also understand the vast distances the weapon can fire.

For this project, we set out to give visitors a shared experience that just could not be delivered using traditional AR technology. Only a true projection of the sheer size and deep booming sound would do the trick.